Fluid control valves are used in a wide variety of industries in order to control the delivery of a fluid supply. The fluid may comprise a liquid, a gas, or a combination thereof. In some situations, the fluid may include suspended particulates. While it is often suitable for a valve to control a single fluid flow, in other situations, multiple fluid flows need to be controlled, and at times, controlled simultaneously. In such situations, complex electrically-actuated or fluid-actuated valves are often employed. While these types of valves have advantages, in some situations, it is desirable simply to provide an on/off valve that can be manually actuated and remain in a given actuated state for extended periods of time without requiring energy or a pilot pressure.
Such a situation exists in the motor vehicle industry where a user may need to control the flow of heated air into the cabin of a vehicle. One of the most common ways of heating vehicles and, heavy duty vehicles in particular, is to use hot engine coolant that flows from an engine's cooling circuit to a heater, which can then control the interior temperature of the passenger compartment (cab) of the vehicle. A secondary fluid circuit can be used to provide heat to an optional sleeper unit that may be positioned behind the main cab of heavy duty vehicles. Therefore, during colder seasons, heat generated from the engine can be transferred to the main cab and/or the sleeper unit to warm the area.
One issue faced with the above-described configuration is the ability to shut the system off sufficiently to isolate the heater core from the high temperature engine coolant. This may be desired during warmer seasons where additional heat is not required in the main cab. The heat to the main cab may not be required for a period of months. Therefore, any type of fluid isolation that would require a continuous supply of power and/or pilot pressure is generally undesirable. The isolation may also be desired to perform maintenance on a component of the heating system. In some prior art systems, a complex manifold assembly has been used to shut off the coolant's flow from the engine as well as to the heater core. The prior art manifolds typically require numerous ¼ turn ball valves resulting in a cumbersome and complex configuration. The prior art manifold assembly cannot be easily shut down during the warmer months or for maintenance.
There exists a need in the art for a simplified valve that is capable of simultaneously opening and closing fluid flow through two or more sets of ports. The embodiments described below overcome these and other problems and an advance in the art is achieved. The embodiments described below provide a valve that utilizes canted sealing members. The canted sealing members are positioned upon a rotatable spool that is actuated in order to open or close communication between two or more fluid circuits.